Please Comment on Draft Strategic Plan

Do you agree in general with the broad future directions proposed for the ICO/IFOS in Part 1 of the draft Plan, or not?

If you disagree with any of what has been suggested, how would you change it?

(You can view the draft plan at http://www.icoph.org/plan/part1.hml or download it from http://www.icoph.org/pdf/ICOdraftplan.pdf.)

Highest Priorities?

Of all of the future directions suggested in the draft Strategic Plan, to what would you assign highest priority?

Purpose of ICO/IFOS?

What should be the main purpose of the ICO/IFOS? What is the ultimate outcome it should work to achieve (e.g., greater public access to eye care, enhanced ophthalmic education, stronger ophthalmologic societies, etc.)?

Top Priorities for ICO/IFOS?

What should be the top priorities for action by the ICO/IFOS for the next five years (e.g., focus on training in developing countries, define models for use by societies, etc.)?

Needs of ophthalmologists?

What do you think will be the greatest needs of individual ophthalmologists in your country over the next five to 10 years (e.g., new knowledge and skills, access to technology or equipment, financial security, etc.)?

Needs of ophthalmologic societies?

What are the greatest needs of your ophthalmologic society? What are the biggest obstacles to achieving your goals? (e.g., lack of funding, lack of participation, difficulty communicating with members, etc.)?

Thanks for your comments. New questions above. Feedback?

Thanks very much to all of you who have submitted comments in this Forum (see the "comments" below each of the questions below). This is exactly the kind of response we were hoping for. You can still answer these questions if you haven't already.

I have added new questions above and would appreciate your responses to those.

If you are new to the Forum, a few tips: To answer any question, click on the "comments" link below it. Type your answer in the box provided and then select "Other" below it, and type in your name. You do not have to register or sign in.

All comments will be distributed to participants in a small ICO/IFOS strategic planning session that we have scheduled in early July. We will also post the plans proposed at the session for your reaction.

If you run into any problems or have comments on the Forum itself, you can let me know by clicking on “Comments” after this item.

Thanks again.

What are our weaknesses?

What are the most important weaknesses of international ophthalmology and the ICO/IFOS (e.g., lack of organizational visibility and financial support)?

What are our strengths?

What are the greatest strengths of international ophthalmology and the ICO/IFOS (e.g., broad scope of practice, experience with education)?

What trends will have the most impact?

What trends (e.g., aging population, new technology) will have the greatest impact on ophthalmology and eye care in the next five to 10 years?

Why we set up the Forum and how to participate

Welcome to the online forum on the future of international ophthalmology and the International Council of Ophthalmology/International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (ICO/IFOS).

We are going to define a new strategic plan for the ICO/IFOS this year and have created this forum to solicit ideas from the Council and ICO Committees, IFOS members and other ophthalmologic leaders around the world.

To participate, just read the questions above and click on the "Comments" link below any question to respond. The first questions are at the bottom of the page, just above this one, and most recent ones toward the top.

We would like to know who is participating, so please select "Other" below your comment and type your name. But you can select "Anonymous" if you think that is important. We reserve the right to remove any comments we feel are inappropriate or off topic.

If you prefer, you can answer the questions or send me your ideas by e-mail to mailto:ifos@icoph.org. But I hope you will post your comments here.

We will be adding new questions each month and posting summaries of the responses and draft planning documents here.

Participating in a forum like this may be new to you, as it is to me. But please give it a try. I think you will find it easy to use and a great way to exchange ideas about the future of ICO/IFOS.

If you are interested, you can find out more about the ICO/IFOS strategic planning process at http://www.icoph.org/plan/process.html.

I would certainly be interested in your feedback on the Forum or process, which you can offer by clicking on "Comments" below. Also, please let me know if you encounter any problems using this Forum.

Thank you for contributing your ideas, which will be valuable as we consider options for the future.

Bruce Spivey
ICO President